December
9
Loving – Extra Credit Blog
I hope you enjoyed Loving, the story of an interracial couple and their desire to stay married and be left alone. This is a Civil Rights story, it’s a love story, and it can also be seen (in today’s context) as a metaphor for marriage equality. To quote Lin Manuel Miranda, “love is love is love.”
- The sheriff, the judge, and other opponents cite the Bible and refer to God’s law (sparrows are for sparrows, robins for robins) when pushing against the Lovings’ marriage. When religion is mixed in with a secular argument like the one here, how can religion make the issue more complicated? Feel free to cite additional examples not included in the movie.
- Richard is portrayed in the movie as reluctant to challenge the ban on interracial marriage in the courts. He is willing to relocate to Virginia to be closer to family, and move out of D.C. after his son is hit by a car, so this is more symbolic than official. Mildred, on the other hand, is very determined to oppose the law, and in doing so, is willing to step into the spotlight provided by the media. Why do you think Mildred is more willing than Richard to challenge the law?
- Richard, for the most part, seems to blend into Black society in rural Virginia as well as in the Black section of D.C., while his white neighbors / co-workers both in the city and country don’t take his integration so well. Though this isn’t necessarily answered in the movie, what do you think it is in Richard’s background that makes him different than some of his white neighbors and co-workers? Feel free to speculate.
- This could have been a very different film in the hands of another writer and director. Sometimes, movies go for shock value by sensationalizing events with graphic violence and language, but Loving has neither. The movie still gets across the menace of racism in the way Mildred is treated while in jail or the brick found on Richard’s car seat, but in a much less confrontational way. Why do you think the writer and director made these choices? Are they downplaying the racism while emphasizing the Lovings’ emotional attachment? Another reason? Why?
Answer 3 of the four questions, minimum 300 words total for all three questions, due by Friday, January 6, 2017.
Loving Movie
2) I think that Mildred is more willing to oppose the law of interracial marriage because she has been raised to fight against injustices. Richard on the other hand has not had the same experience with discrimination or speaking up until he became involved with Mildred. Richard is not used to attention on him because he was raised in a quiet household with his mother. Mildred on the other hand was raised in a family that was aware of the racial problems that had been occurring. In Richard’s eyes, he just wants to build a house for his family on the acre of land that he bought and live peacefully with his wife. But for Mildred, she wants the same as Richard but feels that it is only right to help other couples that may be going through the same thing. An example of this is when Mildred accepts to take an interview at their new house in Virginia so that she could bring awareness to the racial injustices that are occurring.
3) Though it is not prominently declared in the movie, it is mentioned that Richard’s father worked for an African American man. This could contribute to Richard’s willingness to see African Americans for who they are and not what white people think of them. It can be assumed that Richard was around or associate with African Americans at a young age, therefore making him stand out against the white crowd. With this difference, Richard feels like that he relates more to African Americans. Not only was Richard associated with black society at a young age, but his mother, as seen in the movie, never openly expressed dislike or racist remarks towards that group of people. This led Richard to have an open mind with his relationships. Most of these things are not outright facts in the movie but can be inferred from Richards actions and friends.
4) I think that the writer and director decided to focus less on racism because the main point of this movie was the discrimination against love. Although race was involved, Loving, powerfully showed the joy of true love. This can be seen again with the battle for same sex marriage. The writer and director decided to argue that love will always win. Though they are emphasizing the Lovings’ relationship, they are not downplaying the problem of racism. The problem of racism is shown in different ways than expected and some may take that strategy as downplaying it. But racism is shown in the beginning with the prejudice from the court and judgement of the Lovings’ relationship. This movie didn’t need its focus to be on racism because the problems with marriage showed racism enough to get the message across
1) Religion is a complex idea, and when you mix it with law, I believe the lines get blurred. I believe personally that law is free from religion. Law is what is right and what is wrong, and when you mix your own personal feelings into something such as a court case, when you are fighting for what is morally correct, things can get complicated quickly. Opponents towards Loving v. Virginia were partially against it because of religious reasons, rather than what is morally correct. Something secular, such as the right to marriage, can get complicated when you mix your personal beliefs into the matter, considering not everyone has the same beliefs. For example, same sex marriage is a huge controversial topic in which law and religion are questioned. People who believe in certain religions believe that two people of the same sex should not love each other and be allowed to get married. However, the right to marriage is not a religious issue. I believe you must be optimistic when it comes to these things, and try as hard as you can to keep law and religion separate. Regarding same sex marriage, lots of the people against it are people who feel as though it goes against their religion, however, not everyone believes in the same religion. America turned into a place where any religion can practice where and when they want, and you must understand that America is not a fully Christian, Jewish, Muslim country, it is made up of them all.
2) I think that Mildred is more willing to challenge the law regarding interracial marriage because first of all, she is multiple minorities herself. Richard, on the other hand, being a white male, doesn’t exactly know what it feels like to be oppressed (that is, until he experiences getting picked on just because he married a black woman). Mildred grew up with people of color, her family, and was taught to fight racial injustices, whenever and wherever they may occur. However, Richard grew up in a quiet, small place with his mother, and never had any fear about racial issues (considering he is white). You could tell that during the interviews Richard was very uncomfortable, he didn’t even want to go see the case at the Supreme Court. He hated being in front of the cameras, and wasn’t very outspoken about his case. I don’t believe that Mildred cares more about their case winning than Richard does, but Mildred not only wants to make their family stay together and be happy, under the law, but she also wants to help any other families or people in a similar situation. Richard, on the other hand, I feel cares mostly about getting this done just for his family, like when he asked lawyer Cohen to just go to the judge that made them leave Virginia anyway, because he didn’t want to cause a big fuss.
4) I believe that the director making the choice of not showing the graphic parts towards racism out of this movie was not to downplay the racism, but to have the viewer have a better understanding and connection with this movie. Racism can be assumed seeing as how Mildred was treated in jail compared to Richard, or how the brick was thrown into Richard’s car. I think that the director made wise choices. While watching the movie the viewer can figure it out for themselves that there is apparent racism, but the ultimate idea I believe this movie is portraying is the idea that love has no race (or gender, for that matter). Had the movie been directed otherwise, I think the true reason the case Loving v. Virginia wa made, and that was because of love. The director didn’t need to show the horrific parts of racism to get that message across. Love is love, and by showing the emotional attachment between Richard and Mildred I believe the director wanted to get across what it truly felt like to be in that situation, being told you can’t love the person you love because of a silly factor such as race.
2. Mildred is more willing than Richard to challenge the law because she is black and is most likely sick of fighting the law for her basic wants and needs. As a black woman in the south she has many restrictions in her life regarding where she can and can’t go and what she can and can’t do but she was probably fed up when she couldn’t be with her husband. So, in that case she was willing to challenge the law and do whatever she had to so that she could live happily with her husband if nothing else was in her favor.
3. I think that Richard’s background was humble which is why he’s so different than his white neighbors and co-workers. He grew up poor and in poverty and most likely amongst blacks who were in the same financial situation as him so as a kid he probably saw them as equal. The middle class white boys that he grew up around most likely saw him differently and treated him as inferior to them which is why he felt more comfortable amongst the black people in that community.
4. The writer and director made these choices because they wanted to focus on the love story of the movie and less on the things that they went through. They did downplay the racism as an effort to focus on the couple and to demonstrate how it was more than a case but just a marriage of a couple who love each other. I however do think that they should’ve showed more of the racism and obstacles that they had to go through to make it a more realistic view of the couple as well as the case. The movie only displayed their at home life and their families and gave very small miniscule scenes of their problems and issues which is unrealistic.
1. Religion is a tricky thing because everyone interprets it differently, and believes that their way is the correct/only way. For example, in the bible it says, “You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.” For someone who is a homophobe they use the bible to prove their point. To others, they believe that (in my opinion/interpretation) God is forgiving and understanding, as well as, as the years go by, times will change and the society will change with it. Everyone has their own interpretation and how do we know who’s is right? There are also other religions that teach different things. It just gets messy very fast.
2. As an African American, Mildred has always had to fight for her rights. Richard is white so he’s always had it easy until now. Mildred knows that among other things, she will not receive her rights unless she fights for them. This is all new for Richard; in the movie when he was at the bar after the race (towards the end of the film) the people around him are even telling him that he’s Black and that he has a way out that African Americans don’t. Mildred knows that change will not come if it’s not desired, and in doing so she wouldn’t only be helping herself but helping many African Americans in the US.
3. I noticed throughout the film that either his father has left or is dead. Also, towards the beginning of the movie he was talking to a cop and the cop asked him a question as to whether or not his father had worked for an African American. I think his father may worked with/for African Americans so he’s always grown up thinking that they’re ok. Also he grew up in a town that was more integrated then the rest of Virginia. His mother was also a midwife so she probably delivered babies of all races. She disproved of Richard getting with Mildred but she never turned her away. So I think that she must have had patients who were African American.
1) Religion can complicate issues dealing with government because it means that those issues are no longer black and white. When multiple religions exist within one nation there are more gray issues because people have different beliefs. In such nations, like America, religion needs to be separate from the law because it can put one person’s beliefs above another’s. Religions can also be interpreted in different ways and can be manipulated to many different people’s advantages. A lot of people are overly religious and include their religious beliefs in too many of the decisions they make, like their view on the right to marriage. Richard and Mildred marriage was not disturbing anyone, yet people were against it because of their religious beliefs. In the first amendment, it is said that in the U.S., church and state shall remain separate, but the people against the Lovings’ marriage defied that amendment.
2) I think that Mildred was more willing than Richard to defy the law because the law had oppressed her before, because she was black. Richard, as a white man, was probably not used to the discrimination the couple faced. In a black household, Mildred was more adjusted to dealing with racism. She was probably taught to stand up for herself more than Richard had been. Also, Richard is more concerned with caring for his family than bringing the case to a national level. Mildred wants to spread awareness, but Richard just wants peace.
4) I think that the director didn’t go for the shock value, graphic violence or language because he wanted to keep a true story true and he wanted to emphasize the love between the main characters. The director wanted to be positive by sharing the story of a fight for love rather than a fight against love. I think that the director wanted to respect that the story was true and portray it how it really happened. The director even remade a significant photo of the couple.
1.Religion tends to make issues more complicated because there are many different interpretations of it and many different belief systems that oppose each other. If you were to take the Christian bible and apply it to the laws, there would be an issue in that there are many different sects of Christianity and many different interpretations of the bible, even within the sects. Also, there is a large amount of people that do not practice the Christian faith and therefore might not agree with the laws, or the laws might go against their own religion. When religion is brought into non-religious conversations, a lot of the time it will complicate the situation because there are many different religions and interpretations of each faith and its laws.
3. Something in Richard’s background that might have affected how easily he seemed to be integrated into the black community might be the that he was poor. As we see in the film, the house that his mother lives in, and where Richard probably grew up, was not a very nice house and seemed to be very lived in when the interior was shown, implying that his family had been living there a long time. At the time that the film takes place, the black community was still extremely oppressed and because of that it was very difficult for a black person to gain wealth. The majority of the black population was not wealthy and quite poor, while the majority of the white population was at least middle class. Although he was white, Richard easily integrated into the black community because he shared a hardship with them, even though it might not have been the their extent.
4. I think that the writer and director made the decision to make the racist tones less confrontational because they wanted to show a different side of racism. Racism was not and not always is up front, but mostly it is in more of an undertone. Most of the time in movies that take place in this time, especially when it focuses on civil rights issues, racism will be displayed as very violent and combative. I that it could have been a decision that was intended to put the emphasis on the Lovings’ emotional attachment rather than the violent nature of the racism that they faced because it could have made the story less poignant. I believe that the intention of the story was meant to be strongly on the theme of love and racism, but not on the violence of racism. Violence could have taken away from the love theme and it might have defeated the purpose of the film.
1. Bringing religious beliefs and passages into arguments can make things very complicated because religion is so open to interpretation. Even within the same religion, like Christianity, there are over 30,000 different sects worldwide, each of which interprets the bible in a different way. One specific passage for one person could mean something completely different than for another person, so when the opponents of Richard and Mildred’s marriage use the bible to convince them that interracial marriage is wrong, the things that they’re using as evidence could be interpreted any number of different ways.
2. I think Mildred is more outspoken and passionate about changing the law than Richard partly because of their different personalities, and partly because of their races. Richard is a quiet man, who mainly keeps to himself. He doesn’t talk a lot, and the most important thing to him is living peacefully with his family. He doesn’t want to cause major legal trouble, and generally wants to stay out of the spotlight. Mildred, however, is the opposite. She is outspoken, and wants to fight for her marriage rights, and she is not afraid of talking to reporters and lawyers to get what she wants. She also knows that them winning the Supreme Court case would open up the gates for other interracial couples, and help them as well. Although a fundamental difference in their personalities is the main thing that dictates how they act in this situation, I think race plays a role in it as well. Since Mildred is black, she has more of a stake in the game, and needs to fight harder for her rights. Since Richard is white, I don’t think he fully understands her drive to fight for equality, and how it affects her and everyone in her community. Mildred is more directly affected by racism in the government, and therefore is more driven to fight against it.
4. I think the more subtle forms of racism portrayed in this movie is what made it so powerful. It shows that not all racism is outright and violent, and that subtle racism can be just as harmful in the end. Rather than shocking you with extreme acts of violence, they emphasized the romance between the Lovings and made you want to see them succeed. In the end, this is a movie about love, and how love should be the most important thing, and the decisions made by the writers and director showed that perfectly. Because of the way this film was made, and the scenes portrayed, small things like Mildred’s treatment in jail or the brick thrown in Richards car have just as much of a powerful effect as violent or outright acts of racism would have. Additionally, there was no one “bad guy” in the movie, nor was there specific people who acted the most harsh towards the Lovings. Instead, it is kept anonymous. We don’t know who threw the brick into Richard’s car, and it was not one specific person who acted harshly towards Mildred in the jail. This doesn’t pin the racism on one person, and instead, makes it feel like it’s coming from all sides, or from society in general, which makes it seem more ominous.
1. The United States is a secular country. When it was founded, it was decided that there would be total separation of the church and state. However, this often does not stop some from using religious arguments in a government or courthouse setting. A major part of both the sheriff and Judge Bazile’s argument was simply that god did not intend for couples of mixed races to exist, let alone get married. They felt that by Richard dating Mildred, they were going against god’s will. The issue with this is that religion and the bible are interpreted by everybody differently, that is if they chose to subscribe to that religion at all. A religious argument can’t be used in court because not everyone follows that religion and should not be bound to its rules, not to mention the fact that we are a secular nation.
2. Throughout the movie I noticed that Mildred was always very eager to move forward with the case and challenge the law while Richard was more subdued and apprehensive. When Bernard Cohen calls the Loving house, Mildred lights up with hope and anticipation knowing that a lawyer will take on their case for free. Richard, however, finds several reasons not to meet with Cohen before reluctantly agreeing to meet. This pattern continues for the duration of the legal battle; Mildred does everything she can to help the case, from in-home interviews to photoshoots, but Richard isn’t totally on board at first. I think Richard is more reluctant than Mildred because he is already disliked by the white community and could become a target if he becomes an outspoken civil rights advocate. Mildred, on the other hand, is black, lacks civil rights, and can only gain something from the case.
3. During the scene with the sheriff after Richard tries to bail out Mildred, Sheriff Brooks goes on a monologue about how “you know better,” telling Richard that he knew it was the wrong thing to marry Mildred. Then, Brooks backpedals saying, “wait, maybe you don’t know better…” He then goes into a story about how Richard grew up in a black neighborhood and that his father even worked for a black man. The sheriff pities him and says that nobody can come out of that childhood knowing white from wrong. This is what makes him different from other white people in his community. Unlike others, his parents did not instill racist and prejudicial values upon their kids. He lived in a black community, made friends in that community and had no reason to be racist.
1. As presented in the movie, Richard and Mildred have a complicated and unique relationship when compared to many other relationships during that time period. When religion is mixed into the situation, it becomes more complicated because many people were and still are extremely religious and are very strict when it comes to following the rules their religion has to offer. Many religions didn’t allow interracial marriage, and because so many people were set on following the guidelines, they were against Richard and Mildred’s relationship because their religion didn’t approve of it. Because so many people opposed of what Richard and Mildred were doing, their relationship suffered many obstacles and much hate. Despite Richard and Mildred’s many hardships, they managed to rise to the occasion and in the end it was definitely worth it for them because they were allowed to be together.
2. As seen in the movie, there are many insistences where Richard is seen as reluctant to challenge the ban on interracial marriage. However, unlike Richard, Mildred is the complete opposite. I think that Mildred is more willing than Richard to challenge the law because she is a woman of color, also because she is very determined. She is very determined to be able to marry the man she loves, therefore willing to fight for it. Also, I think she is fighting to marry Richard, whom is a white male because she probably knows that there are other women of color that are in love with white males so if she Is able to fight for her relationship with the courts, others in the same situation won’t have to.
3. Richard is a man who is accepted both in the white community, as well as the black community. I understand him being accepted in the white community purely based off of the fact that he is a white male, but what is so special about him that allows black people to accept him as well? I think that him being in love with a black woman is a huge part of it. But looking deeper into that fact, I think he is accepted because he is a white male who looks beyond the color of a person’s skin and is able to fall in love with someone based on the many other traits a person has to offer besides skin color. Because of that, I believe that people of color see him differently than many other white folks and are able to respect him for that.
1. Mildred and Richard’s desire to be freely married is something that is secular, and when religion gets thrown into the mix, things become very complicated. I believe in a separation between church and state, because things become very hard to deal with if people are citing the bible. They believe the things in the Bible as truth, and can’t let go of that truth. Mildred and Richard just wanted to be married. They believed it didn’t matter what their skin color was, it was the same as marriage between two white people or two black people. Present day, we can look at the example of Maryland. There was an argument to make same-sex marriage legal in the state, and many arguments against it. The arguments against it came from the church, specifically the black church; and they said that same-sex marriage is against God’s law. They rallied many supporters and got them to sign petitions to put the choice on the voting ballot in Maryland. Here we see a mix between the church and the state, and how it can become problematic to those who don’t believe God’s law to be the actual truth [in some circumstances]. This is similar to the Lovings’ situation, however in their case the state itself was directly intertwined with the church.
2. In Loving, Mildred was definitely more open to talk about their case and what was happening to her and Richard. She would do interviews without him, and when he would come home, he wouldn’t really be happy about seeing her do that. I don’t necessarily believe it was because he was white and didn’t feel the same passion about the issue as Mildred did; Richard was raised around a black community where it was okay to have black friends and see them as human. I think the bigger issue was his fear of the white community, and how they would judge him based on how outspoken he was about this. He already lived in that fear, and him being more open and public about his passion for marrying a black woman—and challenging the existing ban on interracial marriage—would have a lot more consequences for him among his own race.
4. I found it incredibly powerful when watching this film that there were no scenes of race-based violence/graphic content, yet subtle instances of this systemic racism (i.e. the brick in Richard’s car). That really speaks to how racism isn’t always violent, and how small acts like those can be even more powerful. We get an insight into the day-to-day racist narrative that plagued the country in that time period; when the Lovings were trying to be married freely. I think that’s why the writer and director chose to do it that way; so that we take a step back from what we usually see when we talk about racism (which is violence), and look at the broader picture which is this sort of anonymous, hateful prejudice that exists within the society. By anonymous, I mean that the person that put the brick in Richard’s car is never known. We kind of dehumanize the racism to a point where we can understand that it’s an issue ingrained in the system, and not enacted by a specific person. In this way, racism was not downplayed, yet given a more dominant meaning and effect.
1. Religion and politics (to me) are like oil and water, where politics is the oil, and religion is the water. Politics will always rise above religion. Now, I’m not saying that religion is bad. On the contrary; I believe that religion does mostly good (in the western world, at least). However, our country prides itself on religious freedom, and one person’s religious views will not speak for another’s. Because of this, people shouldn’t try to use religiously based logic on behalf of a secular argument because those religious beliefs will be contrary to someone else’s, so the religion is then null and void from reason in the eyes of the judge of the argument.
2. Mildred, I believe, has more to lose by losing the court case than Richard does. Back when this story takes place, it was commonly believed in Virginia that even the poorest white man was better than the richest black man, and women were seen as inferior to men. So, Richard, being a white man who doesn’t care who he affiliates with (shown by his participation with the black community), will have less to lose being on his own in society that Mildred, a black woman who was raised by a poor, black family. Mildred also showed more emotion than Richard, not only about the court case, but about life itself. This seemingly more emotion would cause her to care more.
4. I think the director of this movie didn’t want just another movie that glorifies sex, drugs, and violence shamelessly to try to make more money. Instead, he wanted a more personable story that would be like a documentary with a focus on the emotions of the people, giving the film a real life kind of feel. This lack of what I like to call “shock effect garbage” leaves the film seeming like an homage to a couple whose struggles helped America get closer to its goal of ultimate equality.
2.) I think that because Mildred is a double minority oppression was something that frequently affected her life. Something like fighting for change was common and familiar to her. In the case of Richard, he is white, and I think that one he is a little more private and two I think that he is trying to protect his family. Several times in the movie he sees upsetting things and his first priority is to protect his family from harm. Second he is very quiet and to himself and even a photographer in his house is strange to him.
3.) I think that Richard comes from a small poorer family and he was ignorant to the racial prejudice that was taught in other white house holds. I also think that because he is poorer and he is probably poorly educated seeing as he is a laborer he does not fit the position as an upper class white looking down on minorities that are “beneath” him. I also think that in his community there is a large population of African Americans that he would have befriended and gotten to know at a young age. Many racist whites were raised isolated from minorities contributing to their racist passions. Finally I notice that Richard is lacking a father. Now not discounting the fact that women can be racist too, many women in this time period sympathized with the African Americans as they were both fighting for rights. Richard being raised by his mother may have prevented a racist child by the way she raised him.
4.) I think that the director was focusing more on the love because the point of view was supposed to be from the family. I think that the family’s goal was to protect their right to love each other, and I do not think that their primary goal was to change the rights for future generations I think that they wanted to gain their right to love, not selfishly per se, but they did recognize the change that they would make.
2: For Richard, this is the first time that he as a white male, has faced this type of oppression and difficulty. He isn’t used to being shafted by the law, but on the contrary Mildred is. Mildred being both a woman and African American means that she has had to put up with oppression for her whole life. Mildred is tired of a flawed system that lets her down time and time again while Richard is just being introduced to this. These vast differences between Mildred and Richard explain why Mildred is more willing than Richard to challenge the law. It makes sense that someone who was raised with discrimination and injustice is willing to challenge the law and go out into the spotlight, and that someone who was raised in a sheltered, quiet home is not as willing.
3: I think that Richard has no feelings of racism towards African Americans and that he blends in to Black society so well because unlike some of his white neighbors and co-workers, he was never taught to be racist. People are not born being racist, it is a learned behavior. Richard was brought up in a pretty progressive household considering the time period he was raised in. In the scene where Richard is talking with the cop, it is revealed that he was raised in a black neighborhood. Growing up with and befriending kids who are black made it so that Richard was not racist, which made him so different from other white people. Because of his upbringing, Richard had a history of being with African Americans so it makes sense that he was able to integrate into black society so well.
4: I think that the writer and director swayed away from graphic violence and shock value not because they were trying to downplay racism, but because they knew that they could capture how bad racism was without using those things. I think that the scene of the brick found on Richard’s car seat portrays this really well because we are never shown a violent outburst or a fight, but we know how tense the situation is. We can also understand how prevalent racism was back then without having to see graphic violence or shock value.
2.
I believe Mildred wanted to stand up to the courts more and Richard was more reluctant and shy about it because Mildred grew up around racism and white supremacy, so she was more eager to stand up to the social issues. From the day he was born, Richard was a white man and nothing could change that. He was used to having things handed to him, or at least more than Mildred did. Richard wanted to live a peaceful life (raise a family, build a house, work a normal job), while Mildred wanted change in the south and was probably raised to believe she could make change, even as a colored person.
3.
Richard gets along with both the white and black people, probably because of something that happened in the past. I believe it was because he could have had a rough past. He could have lived in the poorer areas of his state, maybe around other black people, which he had no choice but to be friendly to them even as a child. Even though he is white, his parents probably also influenced his attitude towards black people ad taught him to be kind. His connections as a child to colored people and being open minded with people continued until he was an adult and met Mildred.
4.
I think the reason why the writer of the film didn’t capture the violence of racism was because they wanted to connect with the viewers. The viewers in the 21st century usually did not get beat up or hurt physically, but many in this day and age have been bullied with words. Subtle things have always been a way of bullying and discrimination, so I feel the viewers could know what this felt like. It shows how small acts can be more powerful than large acts
2) I think that Mildred is more willing to challenge the law than Richard because Mildred has family and deep connections to their rural life in Virginia. Mildred’s life in Virginia is the only life she has ever known. She was raised there and she wants her kids to be raised in the same environment. On the other hand, Richard doesn’t have much family in Virginia other than his mother. Richard doesn’t have the best relationship with his mother because as she stated in the movie he shouldn’t have married Mildred. His mother believed he shouldn’t have married Mildred because it was causing too much conflict in their lives. It doesn’t matter where Richard lives because Mildred is his family and wherever she is that is his home.
3) I believe the fact that Richard was poor, his father worked for a black man and where he lived he didn’t behave like his white neighbors. When Richard is first introduced in the beginning of the movie we see that his clothes are dirty and ragged and that his teeth are not in the best shape. These are signs that Richard doesn’t have a lot of money. When we see Richard at his mother’s, we see that she lives in a run-down wooden house in rural Virginia. Usually during this time most young adults lived with their families because they couldn’t afford their own homes. It was stated in the movie that Richard’s father, a white man, worked for a black man. This was very unusual during this time because the majority of black people worked for whites. If a white man worked for a black man, generally, he was looked down upon by other white people. This shaped Richard into being different than his white neighbors and coworkers. As a result, when he was raised he was on the same economic and social level as the other black people in his town. Due to being on their level he didn’t feel any supremacy towards black people.
4) I believe the director, Jeff Nichols, made the choice of getting the message of racism across but not using graphic violence and harsh language because the director wanted to focus on the true love between Mildred and Richard. The essential part of Loving was the love that the couple shared. It didn’t matter their skin color, but that they loved each other for who they were. I think that Nichols wanted to focus on the main part that took them to court, which was their sacred bond of marriage. I believe that they are downplaying some of the racism but not all. For example, when they were out in town they didn’t hear any racial slurs hurled at them. In that time and in the south, people had the nerve or confidence to say what they wanted and not care. I also believe that even black people didn’t agree with their marriage at that time and since they were living in a black community in D.C. they were bound to get stares or hollers. This was because people did not believe in interracial marriage.
1. When religion is mixed into something like interracial marriage, it complicates things even more. Religion is based off of belief. They are using the bible which is part of one of many other religions. People could believe in other things but because they are using only religion it complicates things more. What happens in the courtroom should only involve the law that was written by the government or state, not off of religion. There is nothing in the law that states that two people of different race cannot marry. The Christian religion says otherwise but as said before that is a belief of only one group of people. Love is something that isn’t restricted to the color of people’s skin. And the belief of a group of religion should not be upheld in the court of law.
2. I think that Mildred is more willing to fight the law because it’s what she really believes in and is willing to do whatever it takes to get what she wants. Richard i feel is more reserved and wants to stay out of the limelight. He loves Mildred and wants to be with her but i think he might be worried about what will happen if they continue to push. He was happy with just being out of the way and in the country. While Mildred fights to be together and back in Virginia, Richard works on keeping their family safe.
3. I think Richard was the person who never thought there was a problem with blacks and whites being friends. In the movie, we saw that his mother’s house wasn’t very fancy. This probably means that he doesn’t have much money so i’m sure that he simpathizes with the blacks that, like him, don’t have that much money. So i’m sure that as a child he tended to hang out more with the african american children then the children who were white like him. Which is why as an adult he blends more into that crowd because he hung out with them his whole life.
1. When religion is mixed in with a secular argument, it can complicate things for many different reasons. There are many religions, all different, and all complex, but laws are put in place to keep things in order. There is a reason the constitution gives us freedom of religion. When religion gets involved, people’s judgement can be clouded by the way they interpret their faith. People who are homophobic or in this case, against inter-racial couples, they will use their religion as a shield from their judgement. There are so many religions existing in America which creates more opinions, which creates more controversy. In the movie, the couple, Richard and Mildred, were living their life peacefully, but the town’s people could not let them be happy because their faith was in the way of seeing what was really the right thing to do.
2. Mildred, being an African American woman in this time period, is used to fighting for what she wanted. Nothing was ever just handed to her and her parents and grandparents taught her how important this was. Richard was a white male, so this made things much easier for him and if he had never experienced hardship, he didn’t know how to handle the situation. Richard just wants his family to live in peace, whereas Mildred wants those things as well, but she would also like to help out other people who are going through the same problems as them and change the way things are throughout the country.
3. Richard is a quiet guy who mostly keeps to himself. The only time he ever opened up was with the African American friends he had. Richard must’ve grown up in poverty around lots of black people and that’s all he was used to. At one point in the movie, it is stated that the people Richard grew up around weren’t a good influence on him, according to the white community. Richard’s father is in no scenes also which leads me to believe he may have died. If this is true, then this could be the reasoning for Richard’s closed off personality.
2) I think that Mildred is more willing to challenge the law than her husband, Richard because he was a very hardworking man who provided for his family and really did not care much about the legality of his action of interracial marriage. He also did not like the generated media attention from the public. He only wanted to live peacefully and privately with his wife and children in Virginia if possible. He loved her very much and would do anything to protect her. Mildred, however, was the leader of the two in the legal proceedings. She is the one who wrote to Bobby Kennedy and the one who committed to Bernie Cohen. She is also the one to speak most often to the lawyers and the media involved. From growing up as an African-American woman in a segregated community, I think it was a daily part of life and very important that Mildred respect herself and stand up for her beliefs. This brought out the outspoken quality in her. Richard, however, being a Caucasian male, did not have to grow up and protect himself as she did. His family had much interaction through work with African Americans and he always felt comfortable growing up within both races. Color was never an issue to him. He only saw love when it came to Mildred.
3) I think that Richard’s background makes him different than some of his white neighbors and co-workers because he grew up fairly poor and his father worked for African American business owners. He was not materialistic and he seemed to integrate himself into the African American world in a very comfortable manner. Richard did not see color as a main characteristic. He valued people for what they were, not what color they were. Some of Richard’s neighbors and co-workers were white like him, but lived a more priveledged, materialistic lifestyle and never quite blended into the world of African Americans. These types of white neighbors saw color as a barrier between the two races and believed in segregation. They saw black individuals as inferior to the white race where Richard never saw things in that way. He thought of everyone as equals and liked to live his life full of love and non-judgement of others.
4) I think the writer and director of “Loving” made the choice to portray racism without much violence and poor language because I feel that they wanted to focus on the strong love story between a husband and wife. They wanted to show the importance of love between people no matter what race or sex involved without being overshadowed by background violence and terrible language. They still were able to portray the concept of racism during this time by showing how Mildred was treated worse than Richard in jail and by the brick wrapped in a magazine page written about his marriage. I agree with how they portrayed the movie in a softer way without violence and really focused on the main concept of love.
1. While religion really had no part of the Loving’s desire to be married, since they were married in the court house, not in a church or religiously, the rich religious roots of the deep south surface to repel any relationship that was not ‘traditional’ in their (police) eyes. By adding religion into the mix, the situation becomes more complicated because of the religious beliefs of the law makers in the south. As said in the question, God’s law restricts marriage to be between people of the ‘same kind’, argued by the sheriff. In 1869, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that, “…From the tallest archangel in Heaven, down to the meanest reptile on earth, moral and social inequalities exist, and must continue to exist throughout all eternity.” This status was held in most of the states, up until the Loving’s fight changed America. The religious beliefs of the judges in the government had put in place anti-miscegenation laws, therefore, having religion be a direct factor in the law.
2. I believe Mildred is more willing to challenge the law on integrated marriage than Richard because of their backgrounds. Mildred had been discriminated against her whole life because of her race, and she continued to live in a community that still had police forces and laws holding her down. Richard, on the other hand, was a Caucasian man living quietly with his family. He didn’t grow up with any reason to fight for his rights, because of the color of his skin. Once problems occurred with Mildred and Richard’s marriage, Mildred embraced media and openly expresses her opinion of what she wanted, and the equality she desired. But Richard seemed more timid and not willing to embrace the media as Mildred had, because he personally had not been fighting his whole life for his rights as Mildred had been. Mildred also knew that by publicizing and allowing the media into their lives, their story and struggle could spread. The Loving’s actions were not selfish, because their fight allowed other couples like them the equality the Loving’s fought for.
4. The director and the writers put you on the inside and make you develop feelings and thoughts along the way, as the character experience it. I don’t think that the writers were trying to down play racism, I think they were trying to make the viewer connect with the couple carefully and they did that by not having graphic violence or profanity. With violence and profanity, there is a vibe that changes the interpretation of the film and the story, and by not using those things, I feel they personally challenged themselves to create a deep bond with the viewers. To make them understand the character’s thoughts, and show that harsh and violent things are not what make a fight, passion is.
1. Religion is an issue that is still relevant in todays society, even though it was created thousands of years ago. All around the world people pray to a god of some kind and it plays a major role in certain governments as well. However in America, we strongly believe in the separation of church and state for one main reason. Society changes so often and with such rapidity that a document created so long ago cannot possibly be relevant in todays government. For example, in the commandments of the Old Testament, it is stated that people should not wear cotton, even though it is present in almost every shirt. If we were to closely follow everything in the bible, the country as a whole would fail. The reliance on the bible for the secular decision of marriage could bring up the argument that we should use it to govern ourselves on every issue.
2. Aside from their skin color, Richard and Mildred differ in many ways, including their cultural background and family structure. I think they were both very disappointed when they were forced to leave their home state of Virginia and their families behind, but they coped with it in different ways. Richard settled into his new home in the busy city, getting a job and schedule, where Mildred was always uneasy with the city life and felt bad that her kids could not roam freely. When the possibility of an appeal of their case arose, Mildred was more willing to participate due to her grievances with the city and a willingness to fight. I think the drive in Mildred was not possessed by Richard because he was a pessimist and was not used to being discriminated against and put down. A major turning point was when Richard received the brick with newspaper in his car because he saw the media and people rooting against him.
4. Although racism was not showed very much in the film, the subtle, non confrontational instances had very symbolic affects on the movie plot. We see this especially in Richard because he shies away from the fight for a retrial due to the hate he received. But the movie, being based in a racially divided time, did not portray it as much as it could have. I believe this was deliberate to focus on the love that the couple had for each other. Throughout Loving we see both Richard and Mildred comfort each other and their kids, building a strong family unit. With that being said, I don’t think the writer is downplaying racism because it is still showed, it is just clear to the viewer that it isn’t a major focus in the plot line. Another possible reason for the lack of racist portrayal could have been a showing of positive changes beginning to come for African Americans, such as the help of the ACLU on the case. This led to the striking down of this marriage law and soon other discriminatory laws.
2. I believe that Richard is not one to feel like he can stand up freely because he is afraid of judgment from his co-works. This is first shown once the press was looking into their interracial marriage story and and article printed describing the situation they are in by the government which is not being able to live in their state anymore. A worker found that out and left a brick in his car with a photo of his family almost as a threat. I think thats exactly what he didn’t want to happen. As for his wife Mildred, she is very outspoken and willing to stand up for what she believes for because I think she is almost used to being put in these tough situations and have to figure them out whether that is using the press or arguing their case in court.
3. Richard seems very comfortable with multi race families which might seem odd to others at this time period. It almost seems as though he had grown up or is connected to an inter-racial family or just has been around a lot of different kinds of people so he is just used to it. It could also have something to do with Richard’s fathers history in which grew up really poor as well. A white man working for a black man was very uncommon at the time and seeing his father do it possibly could have influenced that on how he connects with others with differences. Also being poor could have effected the people who he was surrounded with making him more comfortable with all races it seems.
4. I think the director and writer of this movie was focusing on both the message of racism and inter-racial marriage. The violence wasn’t shown as much because they seem to focus on the family or love aspect of the movie like what you were willing to do for love. In this case Richard was willing to break the law with Mildred by going to Washington D.C. to receive an official marriage license in which wasn’t accepted where they lived.
Loving
2) I think that Mildred is more willing to challenge the law is simply because she is African American. Several blacks at the time of the Civil Rights Movement felt it was necessary for them to go against all laws making blacks unequal to whites. For example, Martin Luther King Jr. saw it was necessary for him to launch the Freedom Riders because he saw that is was discriminatory that blacks had to take literacy test and pay for poll taxes. Another factor that could of led to Mildred having a larger drive than Richard in fighting the law is that she is also a women. As we all know women are far more emotional than men and always want their way. Plus in the 1950’s, it was a women’s dream to get married and settle down with the person they love so the government trying to restrict Mildred’s love for Richard didn’t settle in her stomach for one second.
3) Richard is very comfortable around African Americans while almost every white from that time were not. I think that this is caused by his father because I look researched and found that his father worked for a black man. Since we don’t see his father in the movie this is probably why it is not known. Also, Richard could of grown up in a black neighborhood as kid and maybe he was forced to congregate with them. Or maybe just as a kid, Richard, just saw black people as regular people who were just like whites without the white skin.
4) I think that the director chose to get racism across by showing the love between Richard and Mildred instead of showing graphic violence and harsh language. I believe that the title of the movie, “Loving”, a bigger meaning in it other than Richard’s last name. I think the director wanted the movie to be more of a love story. In the movie he shows that they won their case through love not harsh violence and language. I think this was a smart move by the director because it probably made more money by being love story than film full of violence.
1. (1) The sheriff, the judge, and other opponents cite the Bible and refer to God’s law (sparrows are for sparrows, robins for robins) when pushing against the Lovings’ marriage. When religion is mixed in with a secular argument like the one here, religion can make the issue more complicated because religion is applied to the secular argument, and is used to describe a situation in a completely different context. For example, in the movie, after Mildred and Richard get married in the District of Colombia on July 11, 1958 (Virginia’s ban on interracial marriage will be defeated in 1967), and are ripped out of their bed and put in jail, Richard gets bailed out. Later, he comes back for Mildred to try and take her out, but is not able to. When he comes out, an officer asks him to talk to him, and he says it is not in the name of God’s law to have interracial marriage, and that the next time Richard tries to come and get Mildred out, he will arrest him. The Bible, and God’s law, does not promote racism at all, and actually condemns it, so this not a valid argument. The reason whites use this is that after the Civil War, and the end of slavery, many whites still felt dominant to African Americans even though they weren’t, and would do whatever they could to be in that position. Furthermore, education has a lot to do with it, especially in the South, where many people, from an extremely young age, were taught that whites were better than African Americans. Then, religion is added on to that as an excuse or reason for justifying that way of thinking, making it fine because it is God’s law. Whites or another group may call racism or another secular argument part of God’s law, but that does not make it so. Another example where religion is applied to a secular argument in the movie is when Richard asks Bernard Cohen, of the two officials going before the Supreme Court to defend the Lovings, what defense the Virginia Courts. One of his answers was that they were saying that God did not design for African Americans, whites, Asians or other races to mix because they were put on different continents. This mixes the secular argument of marrying someone to religion when it cannot be. No one, believing in God or not, can guess the reason why races are different, and why they are from where they are. Again, this is just someone attaching a reason, however outrageous and incoherent it may be, to why interracial marriage shouldn’t exist, when the real cause is that that someone just doesn’t believe that that person, in this case, an African American woman, should have the same rights as a white person.
2. (2) Richard is portrayed in the movie as reluctant to challenge the ban on interracial marriage in the courts. He is willing to relocate to Virginia to be closer to family, and move out of D.C. after his son is hit by a car, so this is more symbolic than official. Mildred, on the other hand, is very determined to oppose the law, and in doing so, is willing to step into the spotlight provided by the media. I think Mildred is more willing to challenge the law for multiple reasons. First, her fellow African Americans have been mistreated even after the end of the Civil War, and she realizes that this case could not only help her and her husband, but could also help the entire civil rights movement, and could help other people in their same situation. By talking to the media and shining in the spotlight, she realizes she has the ability to raise awareness to the prejudice, discrimination, and segregation African Americans face. In her interviews, he uses words like “I’m hopeful”, portraying her fervor and passion in fighting for her case, which in turn represents the entire civil rights movement. Furthermore, Mildred is the one that most wants her kids to live in Virginia with the grass, her family, her sister, and becomes sure of this when one of three children, one of her two sons, is hit by a car because he was playing baseball in the street. She realizes that to live in Virginia with her husband peacefully without having to hide herself, she would have to fight for her case, and sees that the people in the media coming to her to shine the spotlight on her are going to spread awareness of what is happening with her family and what her current situation is. Mildred seems more open and joyful in the movie compared to Richard who seems to have been deeply hurt, especially after having married Mildred and being bailed, but her not being bailed. Richard portrays a feeling that he is always alone, but with his family, and can never share his true feelings. Mildred not being bailed, and them being arrested because of him wanting to marry in the District of Colombia may have caused him a lot of guilt, and feel terrible about this action he had carried out. Before this, he laughs more, especially at the beginning of the movie when there is a party in a house with dancing with other African Americans. His guilt could only have been amplified when saying goodbye with Mildred to her family when going to D.C. to stay there at the house of someone they knew. At this time, Mildred’s sister accused him of putting the couple in that situation by deciding to marry, specifically in the District of Colombia, which inevitably made him feel that everything was his fault, and that she made a valid point. Even his mother criticizes him, saying she was fine with Mildred, but Richard knew better than to marry her. Richard now just wants to be somewhere with his family, and does not care much about other people. He does not care if he is with his family in D.C. or in Virginia, he just knows he does want to be with them. He does not want to be hurt anymore, or risk losing his family completely, completely believing that Mildred losing her family was already his fault. On the other hand, Mildred wants to take the risk, as she does want to be close to her family including her sister and father, not only her husband and children. Mildred wants her children to know more of their family, too. Also, Richard does not have faith in people, especially media, since even people close to him including his mother, and his sister-in-law have criticized him for marrying an African American woman. He must think that if people close to him could do this, there was so much criticizing the media and the people reading the media could do. That scared him for the security of his himself and his family. He was scared the way that truths or words said to the media could be twisted or sound terrible out of context.
3. (4) This could have been a very different film in the hands of another writer and director. Sometimes, movies go for shock value by sensationalizing events with graphic violence and language, but Loving has neither. The movie still gets across the menace of racism in the way Mildred is treated while in jail or the brick found on Richard’s car seat, but in a much less confrontational way. I think the writer and director made these choices because the goal of the movie was to emphasize that love is love, and that two people can find love, with race not being factor at all. Furthermore, we don’t need to see shocking graphical scenes with a lot of violence or inappropriate language to see the racism and prejudice that this couple faces. We can see that in their everyday lives, as they constantly live in fear of being found, especially in the beginning of the movie after they are first arrested. That act in itself showed the racism present. The director brilliantly presented this by showing two people having found love, and getting married in the District of Columbia, two normal people, their race just part of their physical appearances. Richard even tells Mildred he bought an acre of land for her, and will build a house for her, and that they would live there, which is a normal thing a husband would want to do, and is what anyone could want to do when in love. After getting married, the couple is just peacefully sleeping in the bed, and even though this scene does not show graphic violence to show the racism, it was ingenious by the director. The next thing we know, the sheriff comes, breaks down the door, and tells the couple to get out of bed, to dress, and arrests them. Even though this was not necessarily violent, the context in which it happened shows how racist people were at this time. It was in the middle of the night, and a couple had just been married, and their skin color justifies a sheriff coming out to arouse them, arrest them, and put them in jail in two different cells. We also see racism in the language that the characters use, even though it is not profanity. We see, multiple times throughout the movie, in the defense of the Virginia courts, in the first trial that the couple attends where they plead guilty, or in the sheriff’s talk with Richard, racism being justified in the name of God and what God wanted, which is simply not true. The racism is also emphasized when Richard’s own mother disapproves of his marriage, saying that he knew better. This shows how segregated and discriminatory society was back then, as his own mother cannot be happy for his marriage even though she was fine with Mildred because she did not believe marrying her was the right choice. She says that he knew better, suggesting marrying her was a terrible thing to do. In this way, Richard’s mother is vocalizing the white supremacist thinking that was ever present in this day. The writer and director are not downplaying the racism while emphasizing the Lovings’ emotional attachment because we see the racism in the Lovings’ fear of their emotional attachment being dissolved by society. For example, when coming back to Virginia after their son is hit by a car, one day, Richard believes he is being followed from work after it looks a white car is taking the same path as him. He keeps checking his mirror, and drives fast. Arriving home, he is extremely weary and nervous that he is followed, and waits for someone to come. Another day, when Raymond, an African American that the couple knows that said would come to the house Richard and his family were staying in away from everyone so that they wouldn’t be caught being in Virginia at the same time after their son is hit by a car, arrives with his car driving at his normal, but high, speed, Richard starts panicking and sees the worst. He asks for his children to be taken inside, and extremely anxiously asks Raymond what the problem was. Raymond did not have a problem to report, only that the two lawyers that would defend Richard and Mildred wanted a meeting. Richard then aggressively asks him why he was driving at such a high speed then, Raymond responds that he always drives that fast, and shrugs him off. Richard aggressively asked this because he constantly lived in the fear that someone would take apart his family, which is due to the racism that was present. Richard also received a newspaper article describing the case with a brick under it, threatening him and his family, on his driver’s seat at work. A married couple had to be scared of their family being separated or going to jail just because they were married and were born with a certain skin color. The fear and reclusiveness that Richard shows throughout the movie, especially after the initial arrest, shows how much the racism affected him. When talking with African Americans when smoking and drinking, Richard is told by the others that he now knows how it feels to be African American, referring to the prejudice and oppressiveness that they felt. That oppressiveness took Richard, and made him a person that was much more fearful and much more reclusive.
2. In the movie Loving it looks like Mildred is more willing to fight for her relationship than Richard is. I think this is because Mildred has gone through more in her life being an African American than Richard who lived most of his life being a privileged White male. I don’t believe that Richard feels as much pain as Mildred does when they are told these things because Mildred lived through them all her life, and every time these racial issues comes up, it angers her more and more and more. Richard, on the other hand, only experienced these racial issues first hand one time. In addition to that Richard may still have some friends and family who are to the left and disagree with their marriage and Richard may not want to challenge it and let them down.
3. Richard could blend in so well with African American society and customs for many of reasons. For one, he could have been raised by a black caretaker, as many white children were in the time. Children who are raised by African American caretakers usually are more open to their caretaker than to their own parents. This could also allow him to get to know some of the way they are. Another reason is that it seems the town they live in at Virginia is equally mixed racially. Richard could have very easily gotten to know an African American better than white kids, he could have stuck with them rather than staying with the segregated whites.
4. I do think that the director and writers did downplay the violence to focus more on the actually love story at hand. The movie is called Loving, and should focus on their love less than how much violence there is in racism. In addition, I feel that the director did this because there are a lot of movies out talking about racial violence and I don’t think that the director wanted his movie to be another one of those. Loving is different than other racial movies, other ones has a lot of violence, blood, fighting, however in this movie the director showed us how horrifying and terrible racism can be with any violence. The director showed us that racism is still present without having much violence.
2. I think that Mildred was more willing to challenge the law than Richard was because she and other African Americans saw what positive change could happen if you put up a fight. The Civil Rights era was still advancing and this could have given the extra nudge she needed to want fight this racist law. Since Mildred was a triple minority (being African American, a woman, and being in an interracial marriage) I believe that she was more than eager to help herself and others who were also in her predicament. Mildred had faced many prejudices and bigotry all of her life and the opportunity that she got when Bernard Cohan began interested in her case gave Mildred a chance to change many people’s lives just as she and others had observed and experienced the change that Martin Luther King Jr. brought. I think that Richard was less inclined to challenge the law was he was scared of what the consequences would be if they failed. I think there was a small part of Richard that made him feel as though interracial marriage wasn’t ok, because of the sigma his mother could have passed to him. Children learn first from their mothers and because their ideology and their beliefs were introduced so early in the child’s life. It doesn’t matter if the child grows to acknowledge that what they were taught was wrong, they still may not be able to shake it from their subconscious.
3. Richard’s father was never mentioned in the movie and the mother seemed to be act indifferently towards Richard not just because he was in love with Mildred, but out of exhaustion. I think that could have been possible that Richard’s father left his mother or died while he was young and that is why the mother is tired, as in tired of grief. While his mother could have been swallowed in sorrow, Richard could have been raised by a black man who worked for his family. Since Richard was raised by an African American, male, father figure that is why he is able to integrate almost seamlessly into their community. Being raised by this father figure could be why he does not have as many of the stereotypes that white people near him have against blacks. This makes Richard’s background entirely different from other whites that are in his social circle. They don’t understand why Richard feels the need to associate with people that have different skin colors because they were raised in an ignorant and racist environment that they continue to pass on to their children.
4. I think that the writer and director made those choices because the public always hears about the significant and horrific situations that turn ordinary people into brave, story book, heroes of sorts. There is only small percentage of movies and books that tell the public less about the political and the attention grabbing points of the story but more about the emotional strings that tied everything together. While expressing the Loving’s emotional attachment to each other, they are not downing playing the racism experienced by Mildred because racism doesn’t always come attached with a brutal and obvious attack on who you are as a person. Racism can show itself in subtle ways as well and that is the way the director wanted it. I think that the director and writer wanted the viewer better accept that Mildred and Richard were a couple, just as any other and not just an achievement that was gained by taking on an enormous battle that changed America.